Maria Kelly on Friday, July 30, 2010 at 2:09AM An average looking group of college guys turns out to be a pretty fabulous group of divas.
But really- they're quite talented.
Frank Bello on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 4:36PM Just a few choice tweets from this hip-hop artist/crazy person:
I need this horse... Kings need horses (Twitpic link of horse)
this J.Press tie is the greatest tie of all tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime!!!!!!!!! Kool Aid smile!!!! It's the small things that mean so much
I think Twitter was designed specifically with me in mind just my humble opinion hahhhahaaaahaaa humble hahahahhahaahaaa
Basically, it's confirming every rumor about Kanye's personality and what caused him to become a meme. He manages to insert his Kanye-ness into even the most mundane of tweets.
Yes!!!! My glasses came and I don't mean the shades
man when you take BABYMAMAJETS there's no stuartist
awwwww man this is addictive I might get in trouble on here!!!!
Sipping Molnar Family Poseidin's Vineyard Chardonnay in the middle of the day sidebar out of gold cups for whatever that's worth
He doles out advice and social commentary like nuggets of wisdom:
cool ain't cool no more,it's a new day education is the new motivation truth taste and beauty let's raise our children better than uscool ain't cool no more,it's a new day education is the new motivation truth taste and beauty let's raise our children better than us
Dating models I had to learn to like small dogs and cigarettes
Classical music is tight yo
keep fresh flowers in the crib
Then there's this series of tweets:
THOUGHTS IS NAPOLEON (link of a TwitPic of something fancy)
I'm sorry, what? I don't...That's not...English what? Napoleon was a short dude who'd rather watch puppet shows than have his enemies surrender (My knowledge of Napoleon is limited to Time Bandits, sue me). So, um, what?
failure hilarity, kanye west in Currently, Featured Andrew Schwegler on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 11:42AM Texter from Christopher Dick on Vimeo.
Texter, a recreation of the Dexter opening sequence by Amber Mac to promote her new Book Power Friending. She's a great social media expert. Check out her work if you haven't already. You might even want to start with her interview with Felicia Day.
Andrew Schwegler on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 11:15AM One of the first things you find out about when delving a bit deeper into Google.com search tools is that you can use that handy search box to do more than just search for pictures of Twilight stars.
The most obvious application that you probably already know about is the calculator. It's quite simple. Just type in a mathematic expression and Google will spit out the answer.
This is usually the next thing people learn about. If you type "20 ounces in grams," Google will spit out "20 ounces = 566.990463 grams." Technically, this one is still a part of the calculator feature. So, let's move along to slightly lesser known tools.
If you're callling someone in a different time zone, it might be hard not to accidentally wake them up in the middle of the night on accident. Who knew it was 5am in Germany that time I called my friend Corrina? If I would have simply typed "time in Berlin" into Google, I would have known.
Google recognizes the keywords population, unemployment and a few others followed by a location for searching through public data. Google will then spit out a nice graph of the data in their Public Data database. You can also explore this content by hand.
My favorite tip is really simple. Just place a tilda (~) in front of a word and google will search with every synonym for that word. It's a great way to search to things if you can't quite remember exactly the right phrase.
There's more too. Suicide prevention, movie showtimes, weather, flu shot supplies, and alot of other data has been pre-parsed and visualized by Google. It's all just waiting for you to use the right search format to get at it. Find all of the Google search tools here.
The Editor on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 8:53AM Previously on Project Athens.... Our heroes were in the midst of discussing what the next big social network would be after taking a detour to talk about tweens ruining Twitter and Tumblr. We now join the conversation already in progress.
Andrew Schwegler: Yeah, and I don't think the "next Facebook:" will be from a big company I don't really see Google Me working out that way.
Nicki Cooper: Yeah, it's doubtful. Because, while the early adopters are willing to try out that kind of stuff, it's not the same as a startup.
Andrew: They lack the fluidity and innovation
Nicki: it's one of the things that's so nice about tumblr, is that we know how small and grassroots it is, and the staff interacts with the community
Mmmm.... design.Andrew: it's the same reason I like Vimeo more than youtube
Nicki: so much more
Nicki: actually there are a lot of reasons I like Vimeo more than youtube
Nicki: even though I did discover while trying to do a project last semester that uploading to it takes way longer
Andrew: yeah, they have way less money to spend on server co-locations
Nicki: which is understandable, but an unexpected 2.5 hour process is not the best when you have a deadline
Nicki: but it's cool, I got 100 on the project
Andrew: and the video is usually higher quality
Andrew: plus no controls in the way of the content
Nicki: didn't really work out as higher quality for me, but I think that was my fault. But generally, much
Nicki: youtube quality always seems much lower than it should be
Nicki: and GOD it is so annoying the way nothing worth watching is allowed to stay up anymore
Nicki: I seriously don't understand why people continually try to post things there when everything is removed and the site is such a damn mess that it's hard to find what you're looking for even when it is there
Andrew: That's why I'm intrigued by Bing
Andrew: It looks nice
Nicki: my favorite thing about Bing is still the way they tried to make "Bing it" happen in Gossip Girl
Andrew: and on the Colbert Report
Jenny's probably "binging" how to be less agnsty.
Nicki: oh yeah
Nicki: I haven't watch the Colbert Report in a long time
Nicki: but it's true, it does look nice
Andrew: but that line in Gossip Girl felt more forced than the super nice Verizon Phones they all use
Andrew: "Let me Bing it on my Kin"
Andrew: that worked out well
Nicki: right
Nicki: "oh, just Bing it!"
Nicki: and when they searched "cancer" on bing
Nicki: I saw a screenshot of them doing the same thing on the Vampire Diaries, but it didn't top "cancer"
Andrew: hahah
Andrew: I take it back
Andrew: that looks hideous and cluttered
Nicki Cooper on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 4:53PM 
James Franco and Target stores in New York are Important Business
The Editor on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 4:22PM Nicki and Andrew had a long chat ranging from social networks to teen television and everything in between. We dug the ideas enough to post them here. Part One is all about Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook. Part Two will kit on Startups, Innovation and Bing. Check back tomorrow for that.
Nicki: it's funny - I think the quality of my posts has been crap, and yet I keep gaining followers.
Andrew: I wonder if spammers have been doing Tumblr like Twitter. Cause, I've had the same thing happen and it's worse because I haven't posted anything in a while.
Nicki: It seems like it would take a lot more effort to make a convincing Tumblr spam account. Most of mine have seemed legit.
Andrew: And, I'm sure that your Tumblr is better than 98% of the other ones even if you think your quality has gone down.
Nicki: I don't just post photos of waify girls, so I've got that going for me.
Andrew: At least it's not written in the voice on a 13 year old agnsty teen.
Andrew: which reminds me
Andrew: When did Tumblr become the new Xanga?
Nicki: I saw a terrible reblog chain trying to blame it on the day Jessie Slaughter went on Good Morning America
Andrew: eh
Andrew: It's just the same thing that happened to Twitter. Mainstream media exposure means that the community gets to the point where trending topics include Twilight and Bieber.
Nicki: it was all kinds of ironic because the kind of people who post "reblog if you were on tumblr before XX/XX/10" are the kind who suck.
Nicki: I just remain blissfully ignorant by not following idiots
Andrew: me too
Andrew: but that also means that I haven't followed anyone new in about 6 months
Nicki: There are a bunch of 20-somethin Atlanta tumblrs I've started following. And, I picked up a couple of them as followers after making a GA Tech joke. Because, those are fun for UGA grads.
Nicki: Mostly it's just that I know I've been primarily reblogging.
Andrew: All this just makes me wonder if anyone will ever create the next community for slightly bleeding edge people. Or, will everyone just stay on Tumblr/Twitter/Facebook forever?
Nicki: I'm inclined to doubt it. Facebook is liable to fuck up and lose its intelligent userbase any time now. Most of us already stopped using it like we used to.
Andrew: The only problem is there's not a "next big thing" out there.
Nicki: Yet. But, who saw twitter coming?
Andrew: I mean, I thought it was cool when I heard Ev get interviewed about it right before it launched. But, no one thought it would become what it is. Back then it literally was people just answering, "What are you doing?" At which point I got bored and left for a year or so.
Nicki: I heard about it a long time before I joined because I didn't see the point while no one else was on it, but I still joined before the burst obviously.
Nicki Cooper: it's funny - I think the quality of my posts has been crap, and yet I keep gaining followers. Andrew Schwegler: I wonder if spammers have been doing Tumblr like Twitter. Cause, I've had the same thing happen and it's worse because I haven't posted anything in a while. Nicki Cooper: It seems like it would take a lot more effort to make a convincing Tumblr spam account. Most of mine have seemed legit. Andrew Schwegler: And, I'm sure that your Tumblr is better than 98% of the other ones even if you think your quality has gone down. Nicki Cooper: I don't just post photos of waify girls, so I've got that going for me. Andrew Schwegler: At least it's not written in the voice on a 13 year old agnsty teen. Andrew Schwegler: which reminds me Andrew Schwegler: When did Tumblr become the new Xanga? Nicki Cooper: I saw a terrible reblog chain trying to blame it on the day Jessie Slaughter went on Good Morning America Andrew Schwegler: eh Andrew Schwegler: It's just the same thing that happened to Twitter. Mainstream media exposure means that the community gets to the point where trending topics include Twilight and Bieber. Nicki Cooper: it was all kinds of ironic because the kind of people who post "reblog if you were on tumblr before XX/XX/10" are the kind who suck. Nicki Cooper: I just remain blissfully ignorant by not following idiots Andrew Schwegler: me too Andrew Schwegler: but that also means that I haven't followed anyone new in about 6 months Nicki Cooper: There are a bunch of 20-somethin Atlanta tumblrs I've started following. And, I picked up a lot of them as followers after making a GA Tech joke. Because, those are fun for UGA grads.
Nicki Cooper: Mostly it's just that I know I've been primarily reblogging. Andrew Schwegler: All this just makes me wonder if anyone will ever create the next community for slightly bleeding edge people. Or, will everyone just stay on Tumblr/Twitter/Facebook forever? Nicki Cooper: I'm inclined to doubt it. Facebook is liable to fuck up and lose its intelligent userbase any time now. Most of us already stopped using it like we used to. Andrew Schwegler: The only problem is there's not a "next big thing" out there. Nicki Cooper: Yet. But, who saw twitter coming? Andrew Schwegler: I mean, I thought it was cool when I heard Ev get interviewed about it right before it launched. But, no one thought it would become what it is. Back then it literally was people just answering, "What are you doing?" At which point I got bored and left for a year or so. Nicki Cooper: I heard about it a long time before I joined because I didn't see the point while no one else was on it, but I still joined before the burst obviously.
Andrew Schwegler on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 9:30AM 
Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice will be at the 40 Watt on Friday, September 24th. Benji will be there too. The excitement for this didn't hit me until I realised that it's not an Acid Tongue show. It'll be a preview of the "Jenny and Johnny" album I'm Having Fun Now.
I'm still not sure if I'm going to see her again. Though, I would suggest that you atempt to see her if you never have.
Go grab their first relesed track: Scissor Runner.
jenny lewis, shows in Music Andrew Schwegler on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 11:30AM 
GetGlue launched in late 2009. Their aim is to allow you to "like" just about anything and get recommendations on new items based on your "likes." Think of it as a massive Netflix-stlye recommendation engine for anything. All of this would be cool as a product by itself; but, GetGlue doesn't stop there. It combines the Facebook-esque "like" mechanism and Netflix-like recommendation engine with Foursquare-style check-ins and badges.
So, if you watch a TV show, you simply check-in to say that you're watching it. Once you done this, you can discuss and rate the currently playing episode with other fans. If you check-in enough, you get various stickers just like you would accumulate badges on Foursquare.
It's not too harsh on the eyes either. The site is designed relatively simply with lots of white-space and some soft gradients.
If you don't watch things with a laptop nearby, they have applications for most major mobile platforms as well.
In all, the service is innovative and I find the recommendation algorithms decent once you rate enough things. Really, though, looking at more than just media of a certain type you like to recommend you other media is a stunning idea that deserves the fine execution GetGlue is giving.
Did I mention that, once a month, you can have your stickers mailed to you as physical stickers?
Andrew Schwegler on Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 11:11AM I mean, you've already seen this movie. Right? If not, I suggest you find a way to do so as soon as possible. It's especially important to watch this film if you're planning on throwing a heroine party anytime soon.
In fact, this movie has one scene that haunted me more than anyother. It involves a baby. Just throwing that out there.
trainspotting in Film Paige Sullivan on Monday, July 19, 2010 at 4:18PM Despite the many times I drive into Athens, I usually bypass the downtown area for the loop or the area near the mall. Last Wednesday, though, I and two friends spent the evening exploring some of our favorite and some new downtown spots.
Before dinner we walked a few blocks up to Agora's, a fabulous antique and thrift store that I had actually been to a few years before with Schwegler. We spent a good half hour exploring the aisles, my fashionista friend, Coleen (co-author of the blog Cass&Cole), practically in hipster heaven. I especially enjoyed the old furniture and local art adorning the walls.
;)
;)
After that, we trekked back uptown for dinner at The Grill (never a bad decision), followed by dessert at Yoguri. This was the part I was most curious about. I and just about the entire city of Decatur are currently in a love affair with The Yogurt Tap, a self-serve froyo restaurant that features 6 new flavors on tap each month and an entire bar of toppings. Since I'm too far from Decatur to justify a trip to the Tap, I was hoping that Yoguri would be a good substitute. I was somewhat satisfied; there were, however, only three flavors available, it wasn't self-serve, and I paid a lot more for less yogurt and only three toppings. It did indeed quench my craving for some good froyo, though, and I appreciated the clean interior design and good view of the surrounding downtown area.
;)
We finished off the evening with a short walk around the UGA campus (we kept it brief because none of us were in proper shoes, and was starting to get blisters the size of Jupiter), and I snapped a shot of my favorite fountain.
;)
Overall, I'd say it was a night well-spent in the Classic City.
Paige Sullivan on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 7:34PM Having just finished it, I am so glad I listened to my dear friend Coleen when she told me about Dr. Dan Kindlon’s book, Alpha Girls, and how good it was. Her recommendation came, if I remember correctly, during my senior year, before I knew where I was going to college, before I went to Agnes, before I left behind all of the silly angst and peer pressure and conformity of high school.
I’m still seeing evidence of the ways in which going to a women’s college has affected me, and I know that I’ll continue to be changed in the time leading up to 2013.
Reading Alpha Girls, Kindlon’s exploration of what he perceives to be a “new” American girl—one of high achievements, ample aspiration, and a hybridization of qualities from both her mother and her father—I was constantly reminded of my fellow Scotties, as well as many talented girls I knew and learned alongside at Monroe.
I guess one could describe Agnes Scott College as something of a watering hole for alphas; indeed, it seems the every student has a rich repertoire of interests, ambitions, and goals for herself, not to mention spunk (ok, maybe I’m just biased and really love my school). On a larger scale, though, this book really got me thinking about how right Kindlon was. Today’s girl is certainly growing up in a changed world.
I’m lucky that I’ll never have to be faced with the proposition of no choices, of a predetermined fate, an arranged marriage, or no legal rights. I’m lucky that when I read a Jane Austen novel and marvel at how preoccupied all the ladies are with marriage, I know that that will (hopefully) not be the predicament that defines my life.
While there are, of course, still hurdles to be overcome in the gender equality arena, Alpha Girls was, for me, a refreshing reminder of the benefits of living in the now. It’s nice to know that schools like Agnes Scott, schools that exist for the benefit of women (and of course co-ed institutions), no longer make it their objective to act as finishing schools; rather, they exist for us to, as the mantra goes, “think deeply, live honorably, and engage the intellectual and social challenges of [our] times.”
Going again beyond college and my own life, I think the most pleasing fact I took from Alpha Girls is knowing that it is possible today to figuratively have your cake and eat it. The modern woman can work, but she can also be a mother and a wife, too. I’ll never be a bra-burning, man-hating, never-ever-shave-my-legs kind of feminist, but I certainly can feel appreciation in knowing that whether a woman is a housewife or a CEO, nine times out of ten she is in that position because of a beautiful thing: choice.
Alpha girls thrive from this one little seed. Reading this book made me excited about all the choices that lay before me and my fellow Scotties and everybody else out there, like a spread at a Thanksgiving dinner. All we have to do is seize it. And isn’t that a great thing?
Basically, if you can read between all of my gushing, I’m recommending that you check this book out sometime.
Alpha Girls, gender, psychology, summer reading in Featured, Words Frank Bello on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 12:17AM 
Tweeted by Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion)
can only hope, firefly, hate fox, still sad in TV Frank Bello on Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 9:54AM One of my flaws is that, as a Puerto Rican, I like to correct Americans on American History (Another flaw is correcting English grammar because my first language was Spanish). And, I love to correct stupid Americans because the argument ends something like this: [I've already established my place of birth and rubbed their noses in it.] "How 'bout you go back to your country, boy?" "[I take a step back, arms held out]Spoils of the Spanish-American War, bitch." The only reason I say this is because the topic of correcting commonly held beliefs about American holidays may or may not come back around Thanksgiving.
It's on this day, eleven score and fourteen years ago, that our country was born, and it is for that reason we celebrate the freezing and starving men at Saratoga whose main wish at the time was shoes with outdoor barbeques in flip-flops in July.
Actually, a bunch of dudes effectively signed their own (really well written) death warrant had the Revolution not succeeded. Had we not won the Fourth of July would just be the fourth of July. And as it was, it did nothing historically. It was a bunch of reasons stating why the American Revolution was being fought and why it would continue being fought. What it was was a declaration of war. Two years into the War. It also became a precursor to the Articles of Confederation which, as history will point out, was a giant case of "LOL FAIL." The real impact it did was a morale boost for the men fighting as it gave them an idea of what they were fighting for (It was a hell of a lot better than "We (the rich American citizens) don't want to pay taxes which we are absolutely accountable for because we pissed off the French and made a costly war, so SOD OFF").
Say you and your friends are working on a science project for a state wide competition (Just go with it.), and, in the process of making it at the last second, one of you goes to Krispy Kreme to buy a couple dozen. Celebrating The Declaration of Independence as the creation of a nation is like framing the receipt to Krispy Kreme and saying you won a state-wide science fair. It helped, but the nation as we know it wasn't created until June 21, 1788, when the Constitution was ratified.
I don't hate America. Like Christianity, I like a lot of the ideas behind it; I hate the people who blindly follow its every word.
america, fourth of july in Currently, Featured 
